Thomas Shelby
Thomas "Tommy" Shelby is the tortured leader of Birmingham criminal gang, the Peaky Blinders, and brother to Arthur Shelby, John Shelby, Ada Shelby and Finn Shelby. His experiences during and after the Great War have left him disillusioned and determined to move his family up in the world. Background Tommy Shelby is one of the five Shelby siblings, and is assumed by all to be the brains and the leader of the criminal gang, the Peaky Blinders. Little is said about his past, though certain significant events in his life - such as his service in the First World War - is alluded to in Tommy's nightmare sequences, and by the other characters. It is implied that there is a drastic personality shift before and after the war; Tommy's dreams often leave him shaking when he wakes up, and Polly tells Grace that Tommy used to "laugh a lot" before he served. It is also known that he was a Sapper (i.e. a volunteer digging covert, very treacherous tunnels in order to place enormous amount of explosives under the enemy positions, a tactic used several times in the war to devastating effect), that he won two medals for gallantry, and that he fought at both the Battle of Verdun and the Battle at the Somme. Thomas Shelby is shown to be a member of the Small Heath Rifles at the rank of sergeant major – a non-commissioned officer in charge of well-being, morale and training of the entire unit (all other sergeants and corporals answer to him as well as to the actual commanding officers). His flawless conduct in this role (made even more difficult on account of his youth at the time) earned him unwavering respect both from members of his unit and other veterans alike and cemented his reputation in the streets. As to his heritage, Tommy claims that he is related to the Lee family on his mother's side, and Johnny Dogs claims that Tommy's grandfather was a "king" of some kind. Series 1 Episode 1 Tommy rides a big black horse into the Chinese quarters in Birmingham, where the horse is subjected to a "powder trick", following which he announces the name of the horse, "Monaghan Boy", in an attempt to rig one of the horse races. Tommy then returns to the Shelby residence for a family meeting. Upon learning that a new policeman is about to be stationed in Birmingham following the loss of a consignment of guns from the BSA factory, Polly takes Tommy aside and questions him on the matter. He then reveals that he'd been carrying out a to-order robbery, and his men had mistakenly taken the guns instead of the four motorbikes that were ordered. Seemingly heeding Polly's advice, Tommy says he'll dump the guns as soon as the full moon wanes, in the hope that the policemen won't pursue the matter further. After Arthur is forcibly taken to meet Inspector Campbell, and reveals that Campbell might want to work together with them to recover the missing consignment, Tommy, after a moment's pause, leaves the room without any further discussion of the matter. Some time after, as Curly and Charlie are preparing to drop the guns off, Tommy changes his mind about leaving the guns for the police to find, and has Curly drop the guns off at the old tobacco wharf, where the Peaky Blinders kept contraband cigarettes - all in favour of some alternative strategy. Later, it is revealed that the new barmaid at the Garrison, Grace, is an undercover agent working to recover the missing guns, when she meets with Campbell. She then informs Campbell that the leader of the Peaky Blinders is not Arthur, but Tommy. Episode 2 Tommy, Arthur and John are in the countryside for the fair, where the gypsy Lee family are. An insult dealt to the mother of the three Shelbys by one of the Lee brothers results in a brawl, led by Tommy. Whilst the Shelby boys are away, the police, led by Inspector Campbell, raid the town's homes and pubs while looking for missing guns and rounding up the Communists. On their return, Polly informs them of what has happened in their absence, and then takes Tommy aside to tell him that Inspector Campbell wants to meet him. In return for the unwelcome raid on the town, Tommy then instructs and orchestrates a mass burning of the pictures of the King, and gets a reporter to cover this incident, drawing the attention and displeasure of Winston Churchill to Inspector Campbell. Later, while collecting his horse from Curly, Charlie presents a bullet with Tommy's name engraved on it - a declaration of war, from the Lee clan. While on the streets, he is stopped by Grace when she tosses a bucket of spit before his horse, and he asks to take her with him to the Cheltenham races. On his return to the Shelby home, Polly informs him of Ada's pregnancy, and he storms off to find Ada at the cinema, demanding the identity of the father of her child. .]] The fixed race with the horse Monaghan Boy pays off, and the Peaky Blinders make a fortune. However, Tommy had fixed the race without the permission of Billy Kimber, the man who controls all the bookmaking sites at racecourses, and Polly chides him for it. Afterwards, Tommy reveals his plan to take over Billy Kimber's business when he meets Inspector Campbell and offers him a deal: in return for Inspector Campbell's (and the policemen's) non-interference with the work of the Peaky Blinders and the impending takeover of Billy Kimber's business, Tommy promises the removal of Freddie and the missing guns to Campbell. Tommy also tells Campbell that if he is taken into police custody, the guns will be dropped off at Liverpool, brought to Belfast and sold to the IRA. Campbell seemingly agrees to the deal, and Tommy leaves after making a snide remark at Campbell's deferment from the war. One night, while in the throes of a nightmare, Curly wakes Tommy up and tells Tommy that the horse he bought from the fair is cursed, and the curse will soon spread to the heart of the horse. After Charlie deduces that it is the work of the Lee family, Tommy shoots his horse, then heads to the now-empty Garrison for a drink, where he is served by Grace. He then reveals to her that, contrary to what she has said about her past, he knows she's never worked in any pub in Dublin, then goes on to (wrongly) guess that she was a pregnant runaway, but promises Grace to keep it a secret. The following day, Billy Kimber storms into the Garrison, demanding to see "any man named Shelby". The Shelby brothers, and Tommy in particular, receive the wrath of Billy Kimber, who accuses Tommy of fixing the races, and subsequently threatens to shoot them. Tommy, however, offers to strike a deal with him; given that both Tommy and Billy Kimber are at war with the Lee family, Tommy proposes to work with Billy Kimber to beat the Lee family to both their advantages. Though Kimber doesn't accept their offer immediately, they seem to come to some sort of a truce. Arthur then deduces that the fight with the Lees that Tommy instigated had been for this reason - Tommy replies by telling him to have his hair cut, in preparation for the races at Cheltenham. Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Series 2 Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Tommy hatches a plan to take control of the southern racecourses. He also meets the aristocratic May Carleton and sees in her an opportunity to move up in the world. Meanwhile both Major Campbell and London gangster Darby Sabini plan Tommy's downfall. Episode 4 Tommy finds out exactly what mission Major Campbell is forcing him to undertake - the assassination of Field Marshall Russell. Arthur spearheads a ferocious takeover of London's Eden Club. Meanwhile, Polly's son Michael is welcomed into the business and quickly experiences the dark side of the Peaky Blinders. Episode 5 Tommy is caught by surprise when his powerbase in London is obliterated. As Tommy struggles to save his family and regain the upper hand, May expresses her feelings for him. Tommy is paid a visit by an old friend, Grace. She comes to his home and Tommy confesses his plan for the evening to her - that they would drink scotch talk, about old times, and then he would sleep with her. But he changes his mind, deciding that he will take her to see Charlie Chaplin instead because he has his bodyguard as a connection. After the event they return to Tommy's home and they sleep with each other before she leaves to meet up with her husband once again. Episode 6 As derby day arrives, Tommy is faced with impossible decisions as he plans to strike back at his enemies and take the family business to another level. Meanwhile, Major Campbell has one final card to play one that he is certain will bring about Tommy's demise. While doing business, Tommy is stopped by Grace who says she needs to speak with him as it is an Important matter. Though Tommy seems slightly rushed and agitated he allows her to speak, Grace reveals that she is pregnant, and that the child she is carrying is not her husband's but is Tommy's. At this point Tommy, dismisses her and says that he will come and find her after the race. Relationships Image Gallery Category:Members of Peaky Blinders Category:Main Characters Category:Characters Category:Series 1 Characters Category:Series 2 Characters Category:Status: Alive